McClatchy

McClatchy, owner of media companies across 14 states, has selected MPP Global to support its digital initiatives with intelligent technology to drive audience engagement turning casual consumers into paid subscribers. McClatchy has launched 29 of their publications on the eSuite platform, creating a more unified and simplified user journey for their print and digital customers.

eSuite provides McClatchy with an end-to-end toolkit that gives more control over the customer experience and the journey they would take when moving from a casual reader to a subscriber. The creation of a new member centre has progressed relationships with their users, providing the publisher with added confidence to create and launch multiple marketing campaigns to acquire new subscribers.

McClatchy is now starting to iterate the user flows to further optimise the user journey and subscription funnel. The next phase of the project is to continue working with integrating eSuite further into the business, including the existing print system, rewards program and new messaging platform.

McClatchy rolls out eSuite, the integrated subscription management and billing platform, across 29 titles in the US and is already seeing subscriber growth

Previously McClatchy’s digital offerings consisted of websites, mobile apps, and a daily digital replica of their print editions. As part of their future business plans, the publisher wanted a more flexible model that met the demands of their readers who want more specialist content and are prepared to pay a premium for highly-specialised content experiences. The team also required the ability to test new product offerings and get these live quickly and easily. To successfully deliver an enhanced user experience, McClatchy required a platform to identify and engage with its readers, as well as better manage the subscription lifecycle. Leveraging eSuite, McClatchy now has access to cutting-edge functionality, enabling the publisher to transform its business into becoming a digital-first paid content provider.

This led McClatchy to MPP Global. The publisher concluded that MPP Global was the clear vendor of choice for their proven track record of providing world-class international support, a dedicated implementation & integration process, innovative product functionality and ongoing development work. The companies also shared the vision that membership-style models were a stronger proposition for the future than the traditional subscription-style approach. McClatchy believed that eSuite, an advanced eCommerce platform empowering publishers to monetise digital content and physical publications, was the best in class to drive their digital transformation project.

McClatchy needed a toolkit that gave more control over the customer experience and the journey they would take when moving from a casual reader to a subscriber. eSuite empowers the publisher to have complete control over their marketing and ultimately, collect more data to understand users better and to meet their needs better. Leveraging eSuite, McClatchy is able to interpret data from their reader behaviour. Using A/B testing, the platform enables the publisher to present different offers to users and track which produces the most successful conversions.

eSuite provides McClatchy with intelligent identification, digital fingerprinting and access control technology coupled with a granular decisioning engine. This functionality, part of the Intelligence & Decisioning module, enables the company to define content access policies, including article-based metering, across its numerous publications. The Intelligence & Decisioning module also enables reader insights and the gathering of behavioural information, which is then used to personalise and optimise the experience.

Additionally, McClatchy is utilising eSuite’s predictive churn functionality (as part of its Retention & Recovery module) to identify users most likely to terminate their subscription, and implement targeted offers to maximise retention rates. McClatchy has been able to offer their readers a ‘one-stop shopping’ experience – a member centre – where they can access all of McClatchy’s titles with single sign-on functionality. By implementing the eSuite SDK, this ensures that the entire user journey is seamless and brand consistency is maintained.

“Throughout all of our challenges and the big delay from our initial launch date, MPP Global has been there to help us move forward. They have patiently answered our questions, responded to emails at ungodly hours of the night, helped us identify solutions to roadblock, and have genuinely been invested in our success.”

Gina Falcone-RuppSenior Manager, Product Operations, McClatchy

Project Goals

Flexible Subscription Management

Build a flexible, agile system to enable McClatchy to build more engaging relationships and more loyal readers via data acquisition and personalised content curation.

Increase Audience Engagement

McClatchy previously didn’t have reliable or in-depth data and analytics to understand what was and wasn’t working for their audiences. With eSuite, the publisher benefits from advanced reporting to better understand readers and use this to convert casual readers to paid subscribers.

Centralised Reader Identities

To enable readers to access products and services across all of McClatchy’s 29 markets, the publisher required centralised reader identities within a single platform. With eSuite, the readers now have access to all their different subscriptions, from digital e-Editions to newsletters and rewards points.

Seamless User Experiences

With a seamless user experience being a requirement of the project, McClatchy saw the necessity of eSuite’s SDK functionality. It was essential to improve the previous user journey, which was segmented and confusing for subscribers, requiring print customers to fill in their information in two separate places to have print and digital access.

Conclusion

Using eSuite, McClatchy were able to create a seamless user journey for their print and digital customers and a new member centre to better engage with their users. eSuite's flexible subscription management has enabled the publisher to create and launch multiple marketing campaigns to acquire new subscribers whilst centralising reader identities and revenues. The next phase of the project is to continue integrating eSuite further into the business, including the existing print system, rewards program and new messaging platform.

The Client said:



We look forward to continue working closely with MPP Global on this project as we implement eSuite and enhance the audience experience across our publications. The functionality available in eSuite allows us to better manage, adapt to, and address consumers’ habits and market conditions while they are engaged with our products.



Kathy LehmenHead of Marketing

Download Your Free Copy

We Would Love to Hear from You...

Join Our Mailing List

Our newsletter is a great way to stay one step ahead with the latest industry news & insight. By submitting your email address here, you are opting in to receive periodic marketing communications from MPP Global.